Dyeing method and apparatus



Det. 29, 193.1. 1 P, GAREY ET AL v DYEING METHOD AND APPARATUS I Filed Jan. l2, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l IIIIMNU? K .IlrmlmlmA ATTORN EY Dec. 29, 1931. J. P. GAREY ET AL DYEING AMETHOD AND APPARATUS s sheets-sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1928 Dec.29, 1931. 1.1.GAREYETAL 1,838,385

DYEING METHOD AND APPARATUS Fi1ed Jan. 12, 1928 ls sheets-sheet 8 Patented Dee. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES formv I. GAEEY, '0E 'ELM-IEA IIEIGH'rsQANn LoUIs E. HAsEEoUcx, 0E ELMIEA. NEW Yonx, AssIGNoEs 'ro ECLIPSE TEXTILE DEvIcEs, INC., 0E ELMIEA, NEW vomi, A

CORPORATION F NEW YORK DYEING METHOD' AND APPARATUS Application mea January 12, 1828. serian No. 248,182.

This invention relates to dyeing methods and apparatus. An important ob]ect of the invention is to provide for the random-dyeing of artificial silk thread in skein'form, but many features of the invention are of general application in the dyeing of absorbent,

,masses Standardv methods of random-dyeing in the mass, such as that of Van Ness Patent No. lo 1,456,344, cannot be applied economically to artificial silk thread, owing to the fact that such -thread is ordinarily packaged in the form of loose skeins instead of as a wound mass. Prior to our invention, attem ts had j been made to random-dye such skeins y covering portions of them and then immersing them in a tank of dye. Such expedients have proved unsatisfactory owing to the diculty of coloring evenly the portion to be dyed, and have proved une'conomical be-y cause of the large excess quantity of dye necessary. By means of the present invention these/diiculties are overcome and a practical and economical way of random-dyeing such 'i skeins is provided.

In an approved form of apparatus embodying our invention, spaced portions of one or more skeins are compressed between perforated plates, while the intermediate parts of the skein or skeins not to be colored are tightly clamped between imperforate members. The. portions of the skein or skeins clamped between the perforated plates are then dyed by passing dye through each of "v them from one plate to the other. Different colored dyes may be applied to the parts of. the skein or skeins held between different so that the air or gas forces the dye lnto and or gas pressure to the limited quant1t of dye, e

through the mass, and then follows the dye through the mass, removing any surplus dye there rom.

The invention may be best understood from a detailed description 1 of a practical skein dyeing machine which is shown in the accompany drawings, in which:

1 is an end elevation of themachine sectioned on the line 1-' -1 of 2;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation o the machine;

l 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectlon, taken on the line 3--3 ofFig. 2, and

showing. one of the measuring cups and the valves associated therewith; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentar front elevation sectionedon the line 4 4 o Fig. 1.

The machine illustrated has a frame supportin 4a table 11. Behind and above the table 1 is a raised platform 12 mounted on standards 13 and supporting a plurality of dye reservoirs 14a, 14b, 140, 14d.

Means for supporting and clamping skeins are mounted on the table 11. They include a movable lower clamping block and a fixed upper clamping block 40.

'The lower clamping block 20 is removably mounted by means of dowel pins 21, on a plate 22 which normally lies on the table top 11 .as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, b ut may be moved vertically upward by any convenient form of mechanism. The mechanism for this purpose, which was shown in the drawings, includes two vertical slide rods 23 passing through holes in the table 11 and carrying the plate 22 at their upper ends. The rods are connected by a cross bar 24 which has at its middle a nut 25, held against rotation by set screws 26, and en aging a threaded part 27 on a vertical sha 28, having an upper bearing in the bottom of the table and a lower bearing in the cross bar 29 of the frame 10,

which hold it against vertical movement. A hand wheel 30, connected with the shaft 28 by beveled ears 31, provides means for turning the sha t 28, and thus forcibly raising the plate 22'and the block 20.

The upper clamping block 40 is carried by two brackets 41, rlsing from the table 11.

The lower clamping block 20 has side walls 32 and end walls 33, so that it forms a box `or trough for the reception of the skeins to be dyed. The upper surface of the bottom of the block 20, contains a recesses 34a, 346, 34o, 34d, each of which is covered by a perforated plate 35. Between the recesses 34a, 346, the recesses 346, 340, and

34d, the block 20 is provided the recesses 340,

ribs 36 which project above with transverse vthe upper surfaces of the perforated plates 35 The upper block is of such size that it.may enter between the side and end walls 32, 33 of the block 20 as a plunger when the block 20 is raised. The lower surface of the block 40, is provided with spaced recesses 44a, 44d, registering with the recesses 34a, 346, 340, 34d, of the lower block 20. Each of the recesses of the upper block 40, is covered by a fiat perforated plate 45. Between the recesses 44a, 446, the recesses 446, 440, and the recesses 44o, 44d, the block 40 is provided with transverse grooves 46.

In preparing skeins for dyeing in the machine, the skeins are spread out lengthwise in the box-like lower block 20, while this block is down against thetable 11, as shown in Fig. 1, and the block 20 is then raised to clamp these skeins between the blocks 20 and 40. As clearly shown in Fig. 4, four spacedportions A, B, C, D, of the skeins are compressed between the pairs of perforated plates 35, 45. The intermediate parts E of the skeins are tightly clamped between the ribs 36 and the grooves 46, while the ends F of the skeins are clamped .between the extreme end portions of the blocks. This has the effect of forming the skeins into a plurality of compressed masses separated by packings provided by thestill more compressed intermediate parts of the skeins themselves.

The machine includes means for passing limited quantities of different colored dyes through the compressed masses A, B, C, D,

. and for removing all surplus dye from these masses The parts of the plishing these purposes, will next be demachine for accomscribed.

The recesses 44a, 446, 440, 44d of the upper block, are connected with measuring cups 50a, 506, 50c, 50d, by means of fixed conduits 51, communicating with bores 52 in the block 40. Eachof the measuring cups 'has at its bottom, an outlet opening 53, communicating with one of the conduits 51, and a lateral intake opening 54, connected by a pipe 55 with a three-way Valve 56. The outlet opening 53 is controlled by an outwardly opening valve 57 normally closed by a spring 58. The ca acity of each measuring cu may be varied by means of an adjustable c osure 59, screwed into the upper end of the cup. In the closure of each cup 59 is an air vent opening 60, to which is connected a small splash pipe 61, extending into the top of the dye reservoir which is associated with this measurplurality of spacedV ing cup. In the air vent opening 60 is a small inwardly opening ball valve 62. Each of the three-way valves 56, is connected by a pipe 63 with the lower part of one of the dye reservoirs 14a, 146, 140, 14d, Iand, by a. branch pipe 64, with a conduit 65 leading from a supply of compressed air or other gas. The operating arms 66 of the four three-way valves are connected to a common handle rod 67, which is normally held by means of a spring 68 in-position to connect the intake openings of all .the measuring cups with their dye reservolrs.

When the three-way valves are in their normal position dye Hows from the reservoirs 14a 146, 14o, 14d, into the measuring cups teal 506, 50c, 50d, filling each @up with the dye provided in its reservoir. The springs 58 of the valves 57, have sulicient strength to keep these valves closed against the hydrostatic head of the dye in the reservoirs, so that no dye passes through the conduits 51 during the filling operation. The air with which the cups were filled when the dye was admitted to them, passes out through the air vent openings 60. The rate of llow of this air is not suflicient to raise the balls 62 against their seats 62. Any dye which may pass through the air vent openings stands in the pipes 61.

In dyeing the masses A, B, C, D, after the lower block has been raised to compress them and the measuring cups have been filled, the handle rod 67 is pulled forward so that Vthe three-way valves 56, connect to inlet opening 54 of each measuring cup with air pipe 65.f

The air flowing into the measuring cups under pressure, starts to flow out through the air vent openings 60 so rapidly that it raises the lalls 62 against their seats 62 and cuts off these openings. The air forces the dye in each measuring cup against the valve 57 with sufficient force to open this valve. The dye from the measuring cups 50a, 506, 50c, 50d, therefore falls into and fills the recesses 44a, 446, 44o, 44d in the upper block 40, and comes into contact with the upper surface of the compressed masses A, B, C, D, through the perforations in the plates 45. The air forces the dye fro'n eachl of the recesses of the block 40, into and through the compressed mass-below that recess, and then follows the lye through the mass, removing any excess The excess dye and the air, passes out of the compressed masses through the plates 35, into the recesses 34a, 346, 340, 34d, of the lower block 20, from which the excess dye and air escape through discharge nipples 70, extend ing through the bottom of the block 2O and through the plate 22. The excess dye falling from the nipples 70 is caught in conical cups 71, formed in the table 11. These cups are connected by four separate drain pi es 72a, 726, 72e, 72d, with separate receptacles (not pipes.

After the flow of air has removed the eX- cess dye from the compressed masses, which takes only a few moments, the handle 67 is allowed to return to its normal position, cutting off the flow of air to the measuring cups,

and allowing them again to fill up with dye. i

The lower block 20 and plate 22 are then brought down' against the table 1l by turning the hand wheel 30 so that the dyed skeins `may beY removedy from the block 20 and re# placed by skeins to be dyed. i

It will be understood that when desired, the dye reservoirs 14a, 14?), 14o, 14d, may be The operation of the machine then results in giving each of the portions A, B, C, D, of the skeins a different color. The'packing provided by the tightly clamped portions E of the skeins prevent any mixing of the colors during the dyeing operation, and the removal of the excess dye by the air prevents a mixing of the colors after the pressure has been removed from the skeins by. lowering the block 20.

The dyeing of each part of the skeins has been found to be very even. This is due' in part to the compression'of the skeins and due to a considerable extent to the fact that the dye is forced through slowly by the evenly distributed pressure applied to it by the compressed air. The best results are obtained by using a low air pressure-of the order Iof five pounds per square inch.

What is claimed is:

l. ,The method of dyeing an absorbent I mass,"which comprises placing a limited quantity ofdye in contact with theupper surface of the mass, and applying gas pressure to said limited quantity of dye to force the dye and air through the mass.

2. The method of dyeing A an absorbent mass, which comprises placing a chamber with an open bottom against the upper surface of the mass, placing. a limited quantity of dye in the chamber, and introducing air under pressure into the chamber so that the air forces the dye through the mass and then follows through the mass after the dye, re

moving the surplus dye therefrom.

3. Apparatus for dyeing an absorbent lmass, comprising a holder for the mass, a receptacle having an open bottom, means for bringing said receptacle into contact with the upper surface of the mass in the holder, and

means vfor connecting said receptacle alter-,

nately with a source of dye and with a source of compressed gas.

4. Dyeing apparatus, comprising a receptacle having an open bottom, means for placing the upper surface of a mass to be dyed across the bottom of the receptacle, a measuring cup having an outlet opening in its bottom and vent opening in its top andan inlet opening, a conduit connecting the measuring cup with the receptacle, an outwardly-open-1 with said three-way valve, and a conduit connecting the three-way valve with a supply of gas under sufficient pressure to open the outlet valve of the measuring cup and to close the vent valve thereof when the air conduit is .connect-ed with the measuring cup through the three-way valve.

5. Dyeing apparatus, comprising alreceptacle having an open bottom, means for placing the upper surface of a mass to be dyed across the bottom of the receptacle, a measuring cup connected to the receptacle, means for alternately supplying dye and compressed gas to the measuring cup, and means for closing the connection between the measurin cup and the receptacle while dye is being a mittedlto the measuring cup and for opening this connection when compressed gas is admitted to the measuring cup.

6. In dyeing apparatus, a closed measuring cup having a vent opening, an outlet open- 'ing Vand an inlet opening, means for alternately connecting the inlet opening of the measuring cup with a source of dye and a. source of compressed'gas, means for closing the outlet opening when the inlet opening is connected with the source of dye, and means for closing the vent opening .when the inlet opening is connected with the source of compressed gas.

7 Apparatus for dyeing a loose mass, comr prising a pair of opposed foramino'us plates at opposite sides of the mass, means for causing an approaching movement lie-tween said plates to compress the mass between them, means for supplying dyeto one of the plates, and means for causing it to pass from one plate to the other through the compressed mass between them.

8. Apparatus for p-artially dyeing a loose mass, comprising a plurality of spaced pairs 'of foraminous plates at opposite sides of the mass, means for compressing portions of the mass `between said plates, pairs of imperfovrate members between the pairs of plates,

means for tightly clamping intermediate parts of the mass between said imperforate members, means for supplying dye to one-ofv the plates of eachpair, and means for 'causing it to pass from one plate to the other through the compressed mass between them. 9. In a dyeing machine, fixed and movable clamping blocks having registering spaced recesses in their opposed faces and conduits extending from their recesses to their back faces, and foraminous plates covering the recesses of each block and spaced apart farther than the clamping portions of the blocks.

l0. In a dyeing machine, fixed and movable clamping blocks having registering spaced recesses in their opposed faces and conduits extending from their recesses to their back faces, and foraminous plates covering the recesses of each block, the portions of the opposed faces of the blocks between their recesses being closer together than are the corresponding plates of the two blocks.

ll. In a dyeing machine, two cooperating clampingblocks having registering recesses in their opposed faces and registering trans-` verse ribs and grooves between such recesses and passages communicating with their recesses and extending to their back surfaces, and perforated plates covering the recesses of each block.

12. A skein dyeing machine having perforate upper and lower clamping members, of which the upper member is fixed and the lower is vertically movable, ixed pipes communicating with the perforations of the upper member, downwardly directed drain nozzles in the lower member communicating with the perforations thereof, and ixed drain pipes with openings located directly under said nozzles.

13. In a dyeing machine, a iixed table containing drain cups, drain pipes extending vertically downward from said drain cups, an upper, clamping block fixed above said table and containing passages for passing dye therethrough, a lower clamping block containing passages for passing dye therethrough, means for raising and lowering said block betwen the table and the upper block,

and drain nipples extending downwardly from the passages of the lower block and adapted to enter the drain cups and drain pipes of the table when the lower block is lowered.

14. Apparatus for dyeing parts of skeins in different colors, comprising a plurality of spaced pairs of foraminous plates at opposite sides of the skeins, pairs of imperforate members between the pairs of plates, means for compressing portions of the skeins between said plates and for tightly clamping intermediate parts of the skeins between said imperforate members, and means for supplying different colored dyes to the portions of the mass between the pairs of foraminous plates.

l5. Multi-color dyeing apparatus, comprising a shallow trough having upstanding ridges dividing it into a plurality of com. partments and provided with a drain openlng in. the bottom of each compartment, a forammous plate in each compartment spaced from the bottom of the compartment, movable foraminous plates located one above each compartment in the trough, means for clamping against said ridges intermediate portions of skeins laid in the trough and for moving said plates toward the plates in the compartments, and means for supplying different colored dyes to the different compartments in the trough.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

J OHN P. GAREY. LOUIS B. HASBROUCK. 

